Right Here
by Fairady
Summary: And nowhere else. Response for the one sentence challenge. [Jak x Daxter]


Disclaimer: All money/devotion/souls go to Naughty Dog, which I in no way am affiliated with. Please pay your respects accordingly. 

Warnings: Um, I didn't kill the English grammar did I? Can be seen as slashy if you are so inclined. Don't like it? Well, you've got the nice little back button.

Notes: Jak/Daxter for the LJ 1sentence challenge. Finally done! Set mostly in Jak 2, though a few are set in Jak & Daxter, and one is set in Daxter. Yes, this challenge is meant for romantic couples, and I do see these two as being in love in their own way.

Right Here   
by fairady

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**#01 - Walking**

_Keep a low profile_, had been their orders and for once the Demolition Duo were managing to stick with it; well, until Jak finally got tired of walking and knocked a Krimzon Guard off his zoomer.

**#02 - Waltz**

Keira limped away leaving Jak to nurse his bruised shin; Daxter, silent to this point, managed to only stutter out 'left-foot' before being overcome with laughter.

**#03 - Wishes**

_Wishes and orbs,_ his uncle had been fond of saying, _didn't just fall into the hands of lazy kids sitting around and doing nothing_; shivering and staring at the cell walls, Jak found himself unable to do anything _but_ sit around and wish.

**#04 - Wonder**

"We'll have to come back," Daxter says with just enough wistfulness for Jak to hear the unspoken, "When I'm human again."

**#05 - Worry**

Nightmares aren't the only things that keep Jak up at nights, some times all it takes is a bitten off cry or a badly hidden limp and Jak will spend the whole night awake watching Dax sleep.

**#06 - Whimsy**

-sorta like coffee, and Daxter could see it now, a small shop specializing in cuppa Jak with waitresses in short skirts walking around asking, "So, how would you like your Jak; dark, regular, or light?"

**#07 - Waste/Wasteland **

There's a terrifying place in his mind, some where between being human and Dark when absolutely _nothing_ matters anymore; what really scares him about it is the fact that one day he knows that place will stretch out until there is nothing else.

**#08 - Whiskey and rum **

The world had a fragile air to it making Daxter more cautious in his movements, one wrong and sudden movement could shatter the world at any moment; turning he looked up, way up, and gave a broad grin to Jak before passing out.

**#09 - War **

As most big things did, it had started out small --the new kid threw a rock, Dax threw one farther, the new kid threw another even farther, Dax threw one right at the new kid's feet splashing him with water, the new kid had promptly jumped Dax rolling them both into the water-- and things had just disintegrated from there much to their shared delight.

**#10 - Weddings **

Daxter flinched as the ice pack was settled against his head, groaning he told Jak, "Remind me to never bring that topic up around Ashelin again."

**#11 - Birthday **

As kids they'd count the months until their birthday, gleefully anticipating their presents and sweets; now they don't even realize the date until Keira shows up with a few sweets and presents.

**#12 - Blessing **

Daxter flinched as the bandage was wrapped tightly around his arm, whimpering he told Jak, "Remind me to never bring that topic up around Torn either."

**#13 - Bias **

Jak could think of no better person to have at his back than Dax, and he knows that most people, Dax included, would call him insane for that, but the truth is with Dax around Jak doesn't really _need_ anyone else.

**#14 - Burning **

Being burned alive is the worst way to go, because nothing hurts quite like being slowly roasted, no words can really explain the horror of it; that's why loss is always described as being a burning ache, because when you lose something --_someone_-- so important to you the pain is just indescribable.

**#15 - Breathing **

Sometimes he'll wake up at night and the wall or ceiling will look just a little too gray and uniform, and everything seems to stop as the world falls in on him; he's never really sure how long it lasts but he always comes back slowly, listening to Dax's calming voice telling him to take another breath.

**#16 - Breaking **

He'd spent two years in the hell of Praxis' prison and they hadn't manage to break him, only crack him a little; but all the tiny cracks in his mind were kept from widening by the presence of his friend.

**#17 - Belief **

They said he was finished, it had been two years and there was no progress; they said there was nothing left to him, he stared ahead at nothing and didn't react to anything; they said a lot of things to each other as they passed under the vents, but Daxter refused to listen to them, what the hell did they know about Jak anyway?

**#18 - Balloon **

As far as throwing a wrench into Praxis' plans went, this one was pretty lame, but watching the Krimzon Guard swatting inefficiently at brightly colored balloons was enough to put even Jak into stitches.

**#19 - Balcony**

Loose stone crumbles under Jak's feet as he kicks out trying to gain leverage and ignoring the trembling in the fingers tightly clenching the ledge; the rope that slithers over the edge is frayed and gives alarmingly as he grabs it but it's enough to get him out of the pit to collapse next to Daxter.

**#20 - Bane**

"So we meet again," Daxter glared menacingly down at his nemesis, flyswatter charged and ready to go he leapt into action, "This time you will die cockroach!"

**#21 - Quiet**

The jarring silence after the alarms cut out make Jak freeze for a split second before he starts walking casually down the street, Dax takes a few more seconds to recover but he eventually lets up on his death grip, and begins to bitch about certain maniac drivers.

**#22 - Quirks **

They say it with a knowing smile and others accept it with a "what can you do" type of shrug, and Daxter doesn't know if he should be pissed or grateful they've condensed "screwed in the head" and "homicidally inclined, so don't poke" into one little word; he goes for pissed the day it begins to include "carries a pet around."

**#23 - Question **

Dax's eyes are too wide and he's oddly hesitant next to the bed, fortunately two years apart hasn't damaged their rapport beyond repair, and Jak doesn't have to say anything aloud before Dax climbs on and curls up right next to him.

**#24 - Quarrel  
**

It didn't happen very often, and when it did it usually didn't last very long --though as far as Torn is concerned once is already too often and too long to stand-- he's already given up keeping track of the reports of the _slaughtering_ of KG pouring in at a constant rate, and is considering using the paper to light a fire to roast the rat who hasn't once paused in his three hour rant.

**#25 - Quitting **

There had never really been any other option, he couldn't just leave Jak --_again_, he does not think-- any more than he could cut off his own arm; so when people ask Daxter why he's still looking after two years he just glares at them.

**#26 - Jump **

"Sonuva-" Daxter's shout cuts off with a yelp as they land, the shoulder guard digging harshly into him, Jak throws him an apologetic look before continuing to run.

**#27 - Jester  
**

The Fool was always shown walking off of a cliff with only a small crocodog trying to keep him back, so it was unfair really to be called a fool when it was clear that Daxter was doing his damnest to keep Jak well away from any cliffs.

**#28 - Jousting **

"That's the _stupidest_ thing I've ever seen," Daxter declared loudly as he and Jak stared incredulously at the smoking remains of two young men and their zoomers; the girl they'd obviously been trying to impress bursts into tears.

**#29 - Jewel**

When Jak bothers to think about it, it doesn't make much sense, the head jewels he gets, but why would the Oracles actually want to help him increase his dark power?

**#30 - Just  
**

Another mission, another life, another world; he has no trouble saving them all so why can't he save something for himself, just this once, can't he save his friend?

**#31 - Smirk **

Jak used to smile over the littlest things, a grin about a mile wide and all white teeth; he doesn't smile much anymore, he smirks and sneers, but sometimes his lips will twitch just a little bit and it almost makes up for it.

**#32 - Sorrow **

Years later Jak can't find it in himself to be sorry for it, sure he'd love nothing more than to have Dax back to his old self again, but the truth is he prefers Dax this way; small, insignificant, and far safer than he'd be if he were bigger and human looking.

**#33 - Stupidity  
**

Watching Torn and Ashelin dance around each other never fails to irk Jak, they're soldiers and should know just as well as Jak that waiting only invites trouble.

**#34 - Serenade**

Depending on the drink, after two or three shots Dax'll start singing to people, wild yet strangely appropriate songs that never fail to crack Jak up.

**#35 - Sarcasm **

"Just another service I offer, no need to thank me," Daxter smirked, expertly ignoring the dangerous looks being sent his way, Jak sighed putting his beer down and getting ready to block the first punch.

**#36 - Sordid **

It didn't take long after his throat healed before he was telling them everything, his life, his past, anything to just make them _stop_, and for a while it worked; the faceless men hesitated over their machines suddenly unwilling to continue now that their subject was human and had a name, it lasted until Praxis executed one of them in front of the others.

**#37 - Soliloquy**

They asked, usually when they thought Daxter couldn't hear and sometimes when they _knew_ he could, but Jak couldn't answer them, how would he know if Dax talked when he was alone, neither man allowed that to happen for more than a few minutes at a time.

**#38 - Sojourn**

Keira let them set up in her workroom after the track closed for the day; she'd stay for a few hours tinkering with her toys and talking, but eventually she'd leave and they'd set up on her cot and, though they never spoke of it, dreamed of lost days in Sandover.

**#39 - Share  
**

Tess had once said they were cute, which had made Jak pause long enough for Daxter to wrench the last piece of bread away, and he scowled as the ottsel used it to finish off the last bit of their meal; Daxter had no idea what she'd meant by it, but as long as she kept making them a big plate of that noodle stuff he was just fine with it.

**#40 - Solitary **

A loner, Jak's heard plenty of people call him that before, maybe one day he'll ask why since it's obvious he's never without his partner.

**#41 - Nowhere  
**

The nights are cold, especially when they only have an empty alley to sleep in, the thin blanket Jak had managed to scrounge up is barely enough to wrap around his shoulders so Daxter curls up inside his shirt and Jak does his best to keep them both warm.

**#42 - Neutral **

"Not bad," Jak slowly admitted looking down at the bowl of _still_ unidentifiable substances, at Dax's pointed look he grudgingly admitted, "Just not good either."

**#43 - Nuance**

Jak knew --when Dax's eyes widened _that_ much and his spine stiffened _just_ like that-- the fragile negotiations were about to take a sudden and fatal nosedive.

**#44 - Near  
**

Fingers snapped, muscles tore, and hot blood soaked everything as the last scream choked off; the smell made him hunger for more but the voice stopped him and told him he was safe.

**#45 - Natural **

Jak doesn't notice the stares; Daxter doesn't notice the double takes; the oddness of their friendship never crosses their minds.

**#46 - Horizon  
**

Even on top of the tallest building they can find they can't see much beyond Haven's walls through the polluted air, which is probably for the best.

**#47 - Valiant**

He never stopped being the hero, not even when he was bitter and angry at everything, the reasons were a little off but Daxter knew reasons never really mattered; in the end, history would only remember the results.

**#48 - Virtuous**

It seemed like the older you got the less black and white the world became, right and wrong stayed the same but it just became easier to work around them than before; he'd asked Dax once if that was as bad as he thought it should be, but Dax hadn't been able to answer him.

**#49 - Victory  
**

It never seemed to be enough, no matter how much they seemed to win, in the end they were always losing.

**#50 - Defeat**

Down but not out, out but not down; life was an utter bitch but they trudged on steadily through it all, because as long as there were two of them it really wasn't that bad.

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End file.
